Everything Your Business Needs to Know To Stay Ahead Of The Curve
The social media landscape is ever evolving and with COVID-19 forcing the world to get digital, we have seen a tremendous amount of growth in this sector. Laura Alexandria Marketing (“LAM”) is a social media marketing agency that specializes in social media management and growth. Ashley Rector, Founder of LAM, has tips and tricks to help businesses stay ahead of the curve.
So what trends do businesses need to keep an eye on in 2021?
- Video Content Takes Center Stage: the attention span of the average human is under 8 seconds which is less than that of a goldfish. Video content is easy to digest and demands attention. Businesses should start utilizing Tiktok, Facebook and Instagram Reels to publish video content on a regular basis. Don’t believe me? Facebook has over 2.7 billion monthly active users and those users average 8 billion videos consumed daily. With all of that screen time, we want to make sure your business is front and center.
- Yes, Your Business Needs Tiktok: TikTok has over 1 billion users and the age demo is between 13 and 40. What’s great about the platform is a video can go viral in a matter of minutes – it doesn’t require you to have a large following or a certain amount of content already created. TikTok also has the highest content engagement rates – which means your consumers are more active with the posts. Tiktok isn’t going away anytime soon and it’s a detriment if your brand doesn’t evolve.
- Each Social Media Channel Needs A Strategy: Okay, not a trend, but a tip. It will ring true forever. Each of your social media channels needs a strategy, I see this time and time again. Brands will recycle the same content on all platforms with no differentiation. You don’t have the same demographic on every single platform, and you need to give your consumers a reason to follow you on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, Twitter, etc. – so start getting strategic and start diversifying.
- In Application Shopping Will Increase: Users will shop in social media applications now more than ever. The social media apps that allow for this currently are Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. Brands should make sure that their online shops are optimized and they are appropriately creating account around items. Additionally, if you haven’t dipped your toe in paid social media – now is the time. Paid social allows you to expand your reach and at the very least you should be retargeting anyone who is visiting your website, Facebook pages, etc. – it is simple and doesn’t require a huge ad spend.
- Pinterest will make a comeback: Pinterest is often overlooked by brands that I’ve spoken to lately, however, I truly believe that Pinterest is a missed opportunity to create easy, clickable, content for your brand. Consumers are turning to Pinterest now more than ever to get inspiration for home products, wellness, clothing and information.
Some of you may be thinking, “Well this doesn’t fit my company or my brand,” and while some social media avenues may not make sense for your brand to invest in right now – your strategy should be updated to reflect these new trends.
I challenge you to ask yourself: How is your brand currently creating social content? Has it evolved since the pandemic? Are you utilizing videos or clips? Are you only posting content that is in relation to selling – aka pushing your brand down people’s throats? Think about the reasons you use social media and the reasons your brand uses social media.
It’s time to reevaluate and capitalize on what 2021 has to provide.
Ashley Rector is the founder of Laura Alexandria Marketing and a serial entrepreneur. She’s scaled social media accounts from the ground up grossing tens of thousands of followers. Her agency does full social media management to help brands achieve maximum growth. Follow along for tips and tricks in relation to social media and strategy.
SOURCE Laura Alexandria Marketing